This was the rarest of things, an Old Firm epic at Hampden Park. For the first time, Celtic and Rangers required spot-kicks to be separated in the final of one of Scotland's major competitions. Celtic found a way to win, endorsing this period of dominance, with their greatest foes understandably sore at coming away with nothing after their contribution to such a memorable fixture.
Technically, Ridvan Yilmaz was the Rangers fall guy. The Turkish full-back was the only player to miss during the shootout. Daizen Maeda slotted home to trigger Celtic celebrations, on account of collecting the one Scottish trophy that eluded them last season. A domestic treble has once again honed into view.
Philippe Clement understandably refused to castigate Yilmaz. The Rangers manager turned his attention elsewhere; his side believed they should have had an extra-time penalty for Liam Scales's pull on Vaclav Cerny. Scales was booked for the challenge, with a free-kick given outside the penalty area. Clement implored the media to "dig in" to the circumstances around that incident.
"My phone is overloaded with the penalty situation," Clement said. "I have had hundreds of messages about that. Of course the referee cannot see that but he didn't get communication from the VAR. That for me is a really weird situation. It is clear for everybody that is a decisive decision."
This story is from the December 16, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the December 16, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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